Yesterday I spent much of the day in a workshop group learning all about needle felting. It was a day well spent, for I was with others and being creative.
I made this…
We often forget how it feels to simply be.
To be oneself.
To be with others.
To be happy.
To be quiet and still.
To simply be!
We have forgotten…be kind, be kinder.
We are oft times unkind to ourselves.
We can never fully know or understand what others are struggling with, yet we all know the value of a kind word, a caring call or a shared coffee.
Being kind opens the door to personal happiness.
Body wellness is centred around being kind to oneself…something many of us never really think about…especially if we have others to care for.
In the past I have often posed the question, “who cares for the carers?”
Kindness changes everything.
This was the abiding message in the famous poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” and yes, Rime is the correct spelling!
Being kind and casting a blessing on ‘slimy’ creatures, allowed the mariner to be freed from the corpse of the Albatross.
It is an epic poem and one worth reading, for it is a marvellous story and lesson.
Are we part of the consciousness of Mother Earth?
I believe we shape the beauty around us with both our physical selves and our conscious minds.
We often hear the statement, ‘seeing is believing.’
I say, believing is seeing.
Belief in the sentient being that is Mother Earth has formed a major part of the energy that has manifested here.
From the very first time I saw this place I envisioned a cottage in the woods, surrounded by the music of Nature and the beauty of life.
Another five days.
Bealtaine.
The beginning of Summer.
This Bealtaine is the celebration of thirteen years of the Bealtaine project.
A project once considered the silly dream of a ridiculous woman.
Against all financial advice it was conceived and against all horticultural wisdom it was planned.
Planned, planted and grown!
This land is both resilient and regenerative…it can grow abundance without me.
I am now free to observe and delight, potter and sit, all the while simply ensuring the gentle maintenance of the edges and paths, free to harvest and raise plants for the Potager Beds which provide some of my food and much of my pleasure.
I have embarked on writing my second book, happy with the good reception of the first, 
I recently read this quote by W. H. Murray and found it to be true to my experience at Bealtaine Cottage over the past thirteen years…
“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, the providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. “
Wise words…live your life!
Click here to purchase the book… 
As I walked I thought about my Mother, my Grandmother and some of the women who have influenced my life, as Mother’s Day approaches…
Mary Robinson, the first woman President of Ireland was certainly one of those women!
“The Irish presidential election of 1990 was the tenth held in Ireland and the first to include a female candidate. Independent politician Mary Robinson would go on to hold office for the next seven years. In the 1990 election, the Labour Party let it be known that it would run a candidate for the first time and nominated Robinson, a former Labour Party senator, and liberal campaigner. The renegade had been involved in the Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform and is widely regarded and respected as atransformative figure in Ireland for liberalizing and revitalizing what was a conservative and low-profile political office. She was a remarkably popular president.” ~ 
My own questions formed around the environment in which I lived, most importantly the Earth and our relationship with her.
I felt empowered by Mary Robinson, as many women at home and abroad felt and continue to feel empowered.
The opportunity to fulfil my dream came over a decade later, when, throwing all caution to the wind, I embarked on what was to become known as the 
The book, “
I was not the only one though, for many, many others were embarking on a similar path all across Earth.
I spoke with all who visited Bealtaine Cottage about Mother Earth, when few people seemed to recognise her plight.
There was a distinct sense of energy rising from the very Earth herself…a form of communication at the most deeply intuitive level.
After years of feeling outcast because of what I sensed and felt, there happened a mighty shift in perception.
As I began to write and photograph what was happening at Bealtaine, so many of you tuned in…often in the most serendipitous of ways!
But, it was not accidental, for all is connected and often in ways we do not understand.
And so the website began reaching people all over the world.
What began as an impossible dream, became a reality of hope for many…that nothing is impossible!
That the doors of perception are not locked and barred!
We are all, each and every one of us on an incredible journey, each one unique, yet deeply connected to all and everything.
We are beautiful souls experiencing a human journey with the greatest Mother of them all…our own Mother Earth.
There’s the makings of a decent salad, with Fennel, Japanese salads like Mizuna and others as well as a lovely edible garnish in the form of Pansy flowers. 
In other parts of the gardens, where little micro-climates exist in the form of stones and shed walls, there’s Flat-leaf Parsley and Thyme. 
Purple Sprouting Broccoli is giving lots of florets…delicious raw or cooked and full of goodness! 
Then there’s Leeks…all grown from saved seed and the stronger for it! 
Elsewhere in the gardens I found stands of Kale…shred this in salads and roast as chip dips! 
Here and there in the flower beds and in pots…lots of Sage and Rosemary…great herbs to add taste to root vegetables at this time of year! 
Bay is growing in abundance, quite acclimatised to the Irish climate. 
Golden Oregano continues to thrive past Midwinter. 
Even the Rhubarb is beginning to produce! 
There’s lots of other food in the garden…for birds and small mammals, in the form of berries. 
The Goddess Gardens are in the midst of an early winter tidy-up. 
This is a way of preparing the earth for the Spring to follow, and, it’s not that far away either.
As we descend towards Midwinter, those involved in caring for the land are all too aware of the time available to prepare for Spring…and that comes in early here in the west of Ireland, with Imbolc on the first day of February! 
Due to the good Autumn we’ve had, the Winter seems shorter, indeed not all the trees have shed their leaves! 
Work in the new Lughnasadh Garden continues, as I move many of the perennial flowers from the Potager Beds, near the back of the cottage, over to the new beds prepared for them. 
I dearly hope to have all the work completed before the Spring, so time outdoors is precious! Mahonia is in full bloom by the bench. This is still in a big pot, but will be planted out if I get the time…another job on the long list! 
The leaf fall this year has been tremendous and will add considerably to the building fertility here in the Goddess Gardens. 
From a barren land to abundant growth in twelve years…I continue to pinch myself! 
As I type, the sun shines in that ethereal way that only descent into Midwinter can do! 
The smell of beans, toast and vegan bacon emanates from the kitchen…a hearty meal before I step out to work on the land. 
I will burn Bay Leaves in my incense pot this morning and the cottage will be infused with sweetness. 
I make my own blend of home grown organic incense, using blends that either calm, invigorate or cleanse.
This seed has adapted over twelve years to grow in difficult conditions, for as you know, it rains frequently here and the gardens are all on a north-facing slope. 
This is why the seed saved here, year after year, is more resilient than commercial seed, which is grown in ideal conditions for the maximum production value! 
Saving seed also makes one value the pollinators, especially the Bees…for without their incredible work there would not be any seed to collect! 
During the 1900’s we experienced a startling drop in the number of heirloom varieties—because gardeners stopped saving and trading their own seeds. 
Here at Bealtaine Cottage I have developed a seed bank over twelve years, adding more and more seed year on year, as the biodiversity increased similarly throughout the gardens. 
When we rely on commercial seed companies, any seeds that sell slowly simply get dropped from production and disappear. 
If you would like to support this vital work of seed-saving and building resilience for the future, consider purchasing some seed from Bealtaine Cottage… 
Each morning I arise and embark on a series of rituals, that culminate with a hot cup of tea in one hand, my camera in the other and faithful Jack by my side. 
It is then that I step out… 
This has been my ritual, though not always with Jack, for the past twelve years. 
And so it continues… 
What has manifested here on this little piece of sacred Earth still takes my breath away! 
I touch base with it as many times a day as I can! 
I take thousands of photographs every year, for the sheer beauty of what Mother Earth can do on three acres of “poor land,” is beyond incredible! 
And this has manifested in one of the last remaining countries on Earth that continues to refer to itself as “Mother.”
“Mother Ireland”
The Great Mother, Mother Earth, Goddess, Creatrix! 
The Celts were one of the last remaining tribes of the Goddess…in that they recognised the spirit of the Earth as female. 
There lies a message in that…
I believe it to be simply this…”I am alive and filled with joy and waiting…” 
And earlier today…